Oiling system for lifts



rApril 1**8, 195@ w. DE BACK 2,504,66

OILING SYSTEM FOR LIFTS Filed 001;. 21, 1946 5 l NVENTOR WILL/AN DE 840K BYGM- @www ATTORNEYS atentedl Apr. 18, 1950 OILING SYSTEM. Fon LIFTs William ae Back, san Jose, Calif., assigner to' Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, a

corporation of Delaware Applieann october 21, 1946, seriaiNo. 704,772

s claims. (Cl. 184-6) This invention relates to the lubrication art and more particularly to a self-contained oiling system suitable for automatically lubricating lifts 'of the type employed in the canning industry for 'presenting receptacles, such as cans or jars, to the filling valves of a filling machine.

The cans or jars handled by such machines are previously supplied with fruit or vegetables and are presented to the filling valves to receive a predetermined quantity of liquid, syrup, or the like.

Consequently, with a View of attaining a .greater fdegree -of sanitation, the can lifting portions of such machines have been completely enclosed within protective skirtings whereby liquid or syrup spilling from the cans is prevented from 4contacting the moving parts of .the machine and lcleaning of the lskirtings is facilitated without subjecting moving parts to harmful abrasives and liquids. Moreover, the enclosure of the can lifts provides a guard to prevent attendants and their vapparel from accidentally contacting .the moving parts of the machine. Since the can lifts are completely concealed they are not accessible for manual lubrication and it is, therefore, .one object of the present invention to provide them with a self-contained oiling system.

It is another object of this invention to utilize the mechanical motion of ythe ,lifts in 4syruping machines for automatically lubricating the concealed moving parts of such lifts.

Another object is to provide an oiling system-` Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of Fig. l

taken along line 2-2 thereof.

Fig. 3 is a `horizontal section of Fig. l taken along line 3--3 thereof.

vbecome aph Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary ybottom view of certain portions of the lift of Fig. 1 taken along line 4-4 thereof.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryfsecton showings. partial elev'ation of a; cam track associated with Athe lift and taken `along line 5--5 in Fig; 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the .syrupingw machine partially` illustrated .therein is fof 'the V.general type disclosed 'in'Patentj-No. 1,811,908 to yW. de Back, dated June v30,- 1931;, and-comprises 2 a'xed base I., a movable turret or carriage 2, and a can lift It will be understood that there are a plurality of lifts arranged 'in spaced relation on the carriage k2 and that the latter is preferably in the form vof-'a turret mounted for rotation about a vertical shaft, not shown, the details of 'Which may be had yby reference to the aforementioned patent. Since all of the lifts 3 are of identi-cal construct-ion and yoperate in the same manner, only one of them is illustrated and described herein.

The fixed base I :comprises a stationary castin 5 provided with a bottom `wall ,6 and spaced upstanding walls 'l and 8 providing an oil sump 9 therebetween.' This sump 9 contains a body of voil to a Astanding level If, as is shown in Figs. 1

and 5.. Formed on the bottom Wall 5 and eX- i-tendi-ng upwardly within the oil sump s is a cam projection II having an acclivity i2 (see Fig. 5) and Iprovided with a similar 'declivity, not shown. The lower end of the llift 3 is provided with -a Vroller i3 which rides upon the `cam Ii as the turret is rotated in :a horizontal plane relative to the fixed base I. Each canl lift 3 is provided with a table I4 adapted to receive 'a container, such as a jar or can, for alternately raising and lowering thesame with .respect to a filling valve vassociated therewith, not shown, so that the lcontainer will receive a charge of syrup Yfrom the valve in 'a manner Vwell `fknown in the yart.

"The present application isdirected to an oillng system for-the lift for lubricating the same automatically as the lift .is raised and lowered lin the course -of presenting a lcontainer to the syruping valve; The lift 3 comprises a vertically disposed stationary sleeve lI5"lraving an annular flange' T6 Fig. 2) 4mid-way its endsv secured to the turret 2 by means of stud bolts lI'I to dispose the sleevein `axia-l alignment with and above the cam Il. A portion of the lowerA end of the sleeve l5 extends down :into the oil sump i9 'and the upper portion of the :sleeve extends a substantial distance above 'the turret 2. The sleeve l5 is provided with a lower bushing IS and an upper bushing i9 spaced from each other to Aprovide an annular chamber '2li' within the sleeve. Y

Slida'bly mounted. Vinthe bushings I8 and I9 .a .Schaft .2 /2 having a central bore 2.3. The lower .extremity of the shaft 2.2 is bifurcated to provide depending armsl. and 21 straddling the roller i3 which is disposedtherebetween. The roller I3 l ance between the upper end of the shaft 22 the lower open end of the sleeve 'II beneath secured to the arm 21 by a set screw 36, as is shown in Fig. 1.

The spindle 32 has an axial extension 31 secured thereto by a stud bolt 38 and mounted on this extension 31 is a guide roller 39 and an auX- iliary roller 48. VThe auxiliary roller 49 is adapted to engage an overhead cam 4I formed integrally with the side wall I of the fixed base I and associated with the cam II, hereinbefore mentioned, to provide a cam track 42 in the casting 5. The guide roller 39 is adapted to mo-ve up and down in a vertical groove or slot 43 provided in the lower portion of the sleeve I and bushing I8 to prevent turning of the shaft 22 due to torque as the roller i3 travels along the cam II.

The table i4 comprises a platform 44 having an upstanding edge 45 adapted to receive the lower bead of a can fed onto the table and for supporting the can or container in axial alignment with uthe filling valve, hereinbefore mentioned. The

underside of the platform 44 is recessed, as -is shown at 45 in Figs. 1 and 2, to receive an annular ring 4'! seated in a recess 48 formed in a complementary plate 49. Within the recess 48, the

' complementary plate 49 is provided with a cen- 'tral hub portion 5I to which is welded the reduced end 52 of a rod 53. Around the hub 5I, the plate 49 is provided with equally spaced holes or openings 54 and 55. The holes 55 (Fig. 1) each receive, from below, the threaded shank of a stud pin 56, the upper ends of which are secured to the plate 49 by a nut 5T. The holes 54, as shown in Fig. 2, have elongated stud bolts 58 extending therethrough and into a recess 59 formed in the upper end of the shaft 22.

Each bolt 58 and stud pin 56 is surrounded by a compression spring 60 having its lower end bearing against the floor of the recess 59 and its upper end bearing against the lower face of the complementary plate 49. The stud bolts 58 are threaded into tapped holes 6I in the floor of the recess 59 and are screwed down so that the heads of the bolts 58 will normally hold the plate 49 down upon the springs 60 leaving a slight clearand the lower face of the plate 49.

The rod 53 extends down into the central bore 23 provided in the shaft 22 and is slidably supported therein by upper and lower bearings 62 and 63, respectively, provided in the shaft 22. The complementary plate 49 is secured to the underside of the platform 44 by stud screws 65 extending through an annular ring 66 which bears against a lateral flange 61 of a depending skirting 68. This skirting 68, as will be seen in Fig. 1, acts as a shield for the upper end of the sleeve I5 preventing juices and vegetable matter from enteringr the oiling system.

a tubular plug I6 press fit into the lower end of the tubular sleeve. The eccentric bore 'I0 has an enlarged upper end adjacent the recess 59 provided with an inside thread to which is of the orifice 'I8 to provide a check valve at the The shaft 22 has an eccentric bore 'I8 formed .lar sleeve 'II having its lower end extending through a segmental plate 'I2 which is threadedly secured to the sleeve 1I. The plate I2 is keyed to the lower portion of the sleeve I5 adjacent'the roller I3, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 4, to maintain the tubular sleeve II stationary relative to the vertically movable shaft 22 and to dispose the standing level I9 of oil in the sump 9. 1

Disposed within the lower portion of the tubular sleeve 'll is a check valve comprising a floating valve plunger 'I3 having a conical lower tip 'I4 resting upon an annular seat I5 provided by upper end of the bore 'IIL The tubular sleeve 'II` and the eccentric bore 'I6 together with the upper and lower check valves associated'therewith constitute a pump for lifting oil from' the sump 9 to the recess 59 in the upper end of the shaft 22.

Diametrically opposite the eccentric bore '10, the shaft 22 is provided with a passage 82 extending-vertically from the recess 59 to a point substantially midway between the ends of the shaft. The outer surface of the shaft 22 is provided with an annular groove 83 in the region of the upper bearing I9 and this annular groove is in communication with the passage82 by Way of a laterally disposed bore 84. At the lower end of the passage 82 the shaft l22 is provided with a lateral bore 85 which communicates with the annular chamber' 26. It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the upper and lower bearings 62 and 63 surrounding the rod 53 are spaced substantially from each other to provide an annular chamber 86 circumscribing the rod and that the lateral bore 94, mentioned above, communicates with the upper portion of the annular chamber 85. The lower end of the annular chamber 86 is provided With a drain in the form of a diametrical bore 81 in the rod 53 communicating with an axial bore 83 extending upwardly from the lower end of the rod.

During operation of the lift, the turret 2 is moved in a horizontal plane relative to the stationary casting 5 causing the roller I3 to travel along the cam track II. As the roller I3 climbs the acclivity I2 of the cam II (Fig. 5) the shaft 22 is lifted relative to the stationary sleeve I5 secured to the turret.

As hereinbefore pointed out, the upper end of ithe shaft 22 is spaced slightly from the lower end of the complementary plate 4Q. This spacing compensates for slight variations in the height .of cans or jars fed to the table I4. In other words, some containers will engage a filling valve before others and, therefore, the compression springs 63 permit yielding of the table I4 when a higher jar, disposed thereon, engages the filling valve before the lift has reached its extreme raised position.

Upon lifting of the shaft 22, as aforesaid, the latter and the rod 53 are elevated until the high point of the cam II is reached. During such elevation of the shaft 22 and table I4, the lower end of the stationary sleeve I5 travels below the standing level I 0 of oil in the sump 9. Consequently, since the tubular sleeve 'II is secured t o the sleeve I5 and the shaft 22 is elevated relative to the sleeves, the tubular Sleeve 'II and the bored portion 10 of the shaft 22 are moved telescopically with respect to each other. The upper valve plunger 'I9 While resting upon its seat SI is simultaneously elevated with the shaft 22 elongating thespace between'the plungers 'I9 and i3 thereby creating a vacuum in the eccentric bore 'I9 causing atmospheric pressure acting upon the standaooaei automatically return to the seat 15 and the oil in the sleeve 'II will stand as a column well above the level of the oil in the sump as the turret continues to move the can lift horizontally rela tive to the stationary base I.

The roller I3 in passing the declivity of the cam Il is caused to descend by engagement of the roller d@ with the overhead cam 13| causing the column of oil in the sleeve II to press the lower Valve plunger I3 down upon its seat 'I5 checking movement of the oil within the sleeve toward the sump. Upon descent of the shaft 22, the space between the valve plungers 'I9 and I3 is decreased and simultaneously therewith the upper valve plunger 'I9 is unseated by the air pressure above the column of oil. The air e's'capL ing from the bore lo by way of the valve lil passes out through the recess 5@ and the space between the upper Vend of the shaft 22 and the complementary plate 49.

After two or three such up and down opera.- tions of the shaft 22 the volume of oil standing within the sleeve 'II will rise to a level well above the normal lower limit of the upper valve plunger 'IS so that upon downward movement of the same, the plunger 'I9 will be lifted from its seat 8i by oil passing into the recess 59. Continued opera'- tion of the can lift and the pump associated there"- with in the above stated manner assures that the recess 59 will always be supplied with oil, thus, providing an overhead reservoir of oil in the upper end of the shaft. Each time the lift begins to descend releasing a container from its engagement with the filling valve, above, the compression Springs 6U assure that the shaft 2d will be spaced away from the underside of the complementary plate Q9. The space between the plate 49 and shaft 22 permits air to enter the reservoir in the recess 53 to thereby prevent the oil in the oiling system from becoming air locked and to allow the oil to gravitate from the reservoir by way of the passages 82, 8d, d toward the bearings and bushings below the reservoir.

The oil gravitates from the recess 59 into the passage 82 and by way of the lateral bores 81% and 85 into the annular groove 33 and' the annular chambers 2G and 86. The uppermost bearing 62 associated with the rod 53 is lubricated direct from the reservoir. The oil nowing into the annular groove 83 lubricates the uppermost bushing I9 associated with the shaft 22v and the oil entering the annular chamber 2B lubricates the shaft 22 midway its ends and provides a constantsupply of oil which works its way down between the bushing IB- and lower portion of the shaft 2/2. The oil dripping from the lower end of the bushing I8, incidental to dropping into the sumpl S, lubricates the guide roller 3d' and the roller 40 associated with the overhead cam 4l.

The volume of oil supplied to the reservoir from the bore 'lll is far in excess of the amountl of oil required to lubricate the bushings I8, I9, 62, and 63, and, therefore, the excess oil is carried oil by an overflow system by wayv of thev inward portion of the lateral bore 8d which dis-- end of the sleeve I5 and overflow onto the exterior lsurfaces of the turret. Incidental to the draining of oil from the chamber 85, the lowermost bearing 63 associated with the rod 53 is kept well lubricated by whatever oil passes between the bearing 63 and rod. The oil draining vfrom the I several lubricated bushings and bearings is recharges into the annular chamber 36. AsI hereinbefore stated, the lower end of the chamber 86 is in communication with the drain provided by the bores B1 and 88 in the lower end of the rod 53. Consequently, the oil gravitating into the chamber 86 is in a, constant state of .flow and turned to the sump 9, thereby assuring that the standing level IU of oil will be suiciently high to supply each of the lifts with lubricant.

It is apparent, for the reasons stated above, that I have provided a novel self-contained lubrie eating system for assuring automatic lubrication of all of the moving parts `of a continually reciprocating lift during its operation. The movable parts of such lift can, therefore, be concealed and shielded to prevent contamination of the pack, and at the same time is protected against damage by abrasives and foreign material.

While the foregoing structure has been described specincally, it will be app-arent to ythose skilled in the art that the same may be altered or modified for various applicati-ons in conjunction with reciprocating mechanism, and, consequently, need not be restricted to the specific structure shown herein. I, therefore, desire to avail mystelf of all modifications and alterations coming within the inlrview of the appended claims. v

l What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent v y 1. An oiling system for a lift comprising a stationary base providing an oil sump and having a lift operating track,A a carriage movable horizontally relative to said base, a shaft slidably mounted on said carriage and operatively connected with said track for reciprocation upon movement of said carriage, said shai't having a stand pipe associated therewith extending upwardly fromY said sump parallel to said shaft, a check valve in the lower end of said stand pipe disposed beneath the standing level of oil in said sump, said shaft having telescopic relation with respectto said stand pipe, a check valve in the head of said shaft operatively associated With said stand pipe, means for moving said carriage relative to said base for alternately raising and lowering said shaft relative to said carriage and stand pipe for lifting oil from said sump to the head of said' shaft, and means in the head of said shaft communicative with the check valve and the bearing surface of said shaft for directing oil to said bearing surface to lubricate the same.

2, An oili'ng system for a lift comprising a base provided withy an oil sump having a standing level of oil therein, a turret arranged above said base for relative movement with respect thereto, said turret having a sleeve extending downwardly toward said sump, a stand pipe having a valve in its lower end disposed below the standing level of oil in said sump, a shaft arranged in said sleeve and having telescopic relation with respect to saidv stand pipe, said shaft having a chamber in its head communicating with said stand pipe, a check valve between the chamber and stand pipe,

shaft, a track` on said base, andv means on--said shaft disposed in said track for alternately rais ing and lowering saidV shaft during movement of said turret, relative to said base whereby oil will" beliftedfvrom' said sump to said chamber for jl bricating the shaft and 4sleeve andy for returning the oil to said sump by way of the space between said sleeve and shaft.

3. An oiling system for a reciprocating mechanism comprising a base provided with an oil sump having a standing level of oil therein, 'a' turret arranged above said base for relative movement with respect thereto, said turret having a sleeve extending downwardly toward said sump, a stand pipe having a check valve in its lower end disposed below the standing level of oil Vin said sump, a shaft arranged in said sleeve and having telescopic relation with respect to said stand pipe, said shaft having a chamber in its head communicating with said stand pipe, a check valve between` the chamber and stand pipe, said shaft having ports communicating said chamber with the space between said sleeve and. shaft, means onv said base and shaft operatively related for alternately raising and lowering said shaft upon movement lof said turret whereby oil will be lifted from said sump to said chamber for lubricating the shaft and sleeve, and an overflow bypass in said shaft for draining excess oil fro-m said chamber into said sump.

4. A can lift for a syruping machine comprising a base providing an oil sump and having a cam track associated therewith, a turret arranged Yabove said base for relative movement with respect thereto, said turret having a bearing, a shaft in said bearing, means on said shaft operatively engaging said cam track, a tubesupported for movement with said turret and telescopically associated with a bore provided in said shaft and having its lower end extending into said oil sump. a check valve at the base of said tube, said shaft having a reservoir communicating with the bore above said tube, a check valve intermediate said bore and reservoir, said shaft having a passage interconnecting said reservoir with the bearing surface of said sleeve and shaft, and means for moving said turret horizontally with respect to said base for causing up and down movement of said shaft relative to said cam track and bearing,V

whereby to draw oil from said sump into said reservoir for gravitation between said bearing and shaft.

5. A can lift for a syruping machine comprising a base providing an oil sump and Vhaving a cam track associated therewith, a turret arranged above said base for relative movementV with respect thereto, said turret having a bearing, a shaft in said bearing, means on said shaft operatively engaging said cam track, a tube supported for movement with said turret and telescopically associated with a bore provided in said shaft and having its lower end extendinginto said oil sump, a check valve at the base of said tube, said shaft having a reservoir communicating with the bore above said tube, a check valve intermediate said bore and reservoir, said shaft having a passage interconnecting said reservoir with the bearing surface of said sleeve and shaft, means for moving said turret horizontally with respect to said base for causing up and down movement of said shaft relative to said cam track and bearing, whereby oil is translated from said sump into said Vreservoir for gravitation between said bearing and shaft, and overflow means associated with said reservoir for returning excess oil from the latter to said sump.

6. An oiling system for a can lift comprising a base provided with an oil sump and having a cam track, a carriage movable relative Vto the base provided with a bearing, a shaft mounted in the bearing operatively associated with the cam track for effecting reciprocating movement of said shaft as the carriage is moved'relative to 'the base, a rod slidably mounted in the shaft carrying a table for receiving a container, resilient means between the shaft and table for permitting yielding movement of the latter, said shaft having a recessed upper end encircling the rod, a passage formed in the shaft between the recess and the periphery of said shaft, a fluid pump operable by. the shaft having an inlet submerged in the oil in the sump and an outlet communicating with the recessed upper end of said shaft, and means for moving the carriage relative to the base for effecting reciprocation of said shaft and for operating the pump whereby the latter will supply oil to the recessed upper end of said shaft for gravitation toward the sump by way of the space between the bearing and shaft and the shaft and rod.

7. An oiling system for a cam lift comprising a base provided with an oil sump and having a cam track, a carriage movable relative to thek l base provided with a bearing, a shaft mounted in the bearing operatively associated with the cam track for effecting reciprocating movement of said shaft as the carriage is moved relative to the base, a rod slidably mounted in the shaft carrying a table for receiving a container, resilient means between the shaft and table for permitting yielding movement of the latter, said shaft having a recessed upper end encircling the rod, a passage formed in the shaft between the recess and the periphery of said shaft, a fluid pump operable by the shaft having an inlet submerged in the oil in the sump and an outlet communicating with the recessed upper end of said shaft, means for moving the carriage relative to the base for effecting reciprocation of said shaft and for operating the pump whereby the latter will supply oil to the recessed upper end of said shaft for gravitation toward the sump by way of the Space between the bearing and shaft and the shaft l and rod, and overflow meansY between the recessed upper end of the shaft and the lower end of the rod for returning excess oil from the recess to the sump.

8. An oiling system for a cam lift comprising a base having an oil sump and a cam track, a carriage movable relative to said base provided with a bearing, a shaft mounted in the bearing operatively associated with the cam track'for effecting reciprocating movement of said'shaft as the carriage is moved relative to the base, a

reservoir in the' upper end of said shaft communicating with the bearing in said carriage, a fluid pump operable by said shaft having an inlet submerged in the oil sump and an outlet communicating with said reservoir, means for moving the carriage relative to the base for effecting reciprocation of said shaft and for operating the pump whereby the latter will supply oil to the reservoir in said shaft for gravitation toward the sump by way of the space between the bearing and shaft.

WILLIAM DE BACK.

Name Date Number Noah Apr. 10, 1928 

